Well, there is a possibility this could be a fun event with an opportunity to try some interesting brews.
If you're feeling negative Bearman, you should just stay home.
Left Hand 400lb. Monkey- who wouldn't want to give that a try?

Are the police going to be watching and arresting all those who drink at this event and then drive when they are leaving?
Stupid oxymoron. It is LEGAL to have events like these, then it's ILLEGAL to drive away from there drunk.
They should at least provide taxis.

This event is no different than going to a club, bar, pub, or resturaunt to drink......the only difference is that you will have the chance to sample a huge variety of beers that you would not normally get in Griffin.

Most cultured place today have beer festivals and handle it just fine.

However, if you drink alot of bud and miller be warned that most of the beers listed above are stronger and some have double the alcohol content compared to Bud Light.

So see it as an experience to try something new and be smart and have a Designated Driver if you are planning to consume....and you don't have to drink a whole glass of something new to try it.

Hey Cats,
What is your usual choice for beer? I might beable to recommend a few from the list for you to defintely try.

If you have never ventured beyond the Griffin grocery store collection you will be in a world of suprise. I can no longer drink mass produced beer because of my experience around local/micro breweries while living in the Pacific Northwest. I sure do miss the flavor of cascade hops.

Enjoy, and don't let the Negative Nancies on this thread squash such a fun event! Live life but be responsible and respectful.

I really hope this goes well but the $50 ticket price is just too high. Several friends and I were going to attend but we realized we could make our own, more impressive, beer list with the money we would have spent going to this.

I've been to many of these in several cities and never paid more than $30 for entry.

For those interested, if you use the code "bignosekate" it will knock 5.00 off the ticket price. Early bird tickets were only $35.00 and were on sale for well over a month.

If you have never been to a beer fest, the point isn't to get drunk and drive, it's to sample multiple styles of beer from breweries you haven't tried before, and to learn more about the brewing process. It's a lot like a wine tasting or a coffee cupping type event. Believe it or not, a lot of people actually spit the beer out after trying it! Gasp!

We have had no problem selling tickets -and good luck finding all these beers in one place. Real curious how you could take even $50.00 and make a "more impressive beer list" - please share how you would do this, I would love to know. A good third of the beers on the list you just plain can't get around here at all.

Many beer fests that charge lower prices feature exotic brews like Blue Moon or Sam Adams or Pabst Blue Ribbon, and only have 25-30 to choose from. We are not catering to those who want to "get their $50.00 worth of beer in their gullet", because those are the folks that generally drink and drive. At Taco Mac you can run up a 50.00 beer tab with about 4-5 beers, and though they offer over 100 beers, they don't even have the depth of selection we are offering

And we do have discounted tickets for designated drivers/non-drinkers and dial a bus is available in Griffin to get folks home.

We will also have a home brewing demonstration, reps from about a half dozen different breweries, the brewmaster from Jailhouse brewery based out of Hampton, local Doc Holliday historian Bill Dunn to spin you a tale about Doc, tasty treats for purchase from downtown restaurants, and a freaking moustache contest.

In addition, there will be June Jam directly afterwards on Solomon street, or you could walk to Slices, Corner Deli, or 6th Street Pier to get some dinner in your belly.

And did I mention that someone that buys a ticket is leaving with a $500.00 iPad?

I'm the creator of the Doc Holliday Beer Festival in Griffin and I’m really surprised to see such a negative response to this event. I thought this would bring something new and interesting to Griffin and give us a chance to capitalize on the fame of our most recognized resident. Many Griffinites (including myself) have often been overheard saying "There's nothing to do around here." I took it upon myself to try to CREATE something cool to do. Some people like to criticize others for how they do things. Thing is, most of your critics are those who never create anything at all. They're talkers, not doers. I've been promoting this event for two months (radio spots, front inside cover of Kitchen Drawer, Griffin Daily News, posters, flyers, BBQ & Blues, etc.) for $35. The cost jumping to $50 on June 1st was not to make more money at the last minute. It was an attempt to get people to buy their tickets EARLY so we would know how much beer to purchase for the event. When people don’t buy tickets early, we are forced to guess on how many people will show and then offer a limited number of tickets. I’ve actually discussed bringing something like this to Barnesville with a couple of people. I thought it would be a perfect location with a college, a beautiful downtown area and a city government that is much easier to work with. We may have to rethink that idea. Cheers!

As a representative of the city government in Griffin, I think we've bent over backwards for this event. (Almost) everyone is very excited about the Doc Holliday Beer Fest and I think it's going to be a great event. No matter what I've worked on or how much of a success it has been, there are always people out there who want to complain or put it down.

The Doc Holliday Beer Festival is for those who are interested in trying new things, listening to some great music, hearing about Doc Holliday and HAVING FUN! If that's not your thing, then it's probably not worth $50 (or $45 or $35) to attend.

I, however, got my tickets months ago and have worked hard to make, not just the beer fest, but the WHOLE fun weekend in Griffin be a great success.

Chad and Ben, don't let the naysayers get to you. Thanks for taking a risk with this event. I think it's going to be great.